Halimah Bellows – Author Interview

Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to start writing.
As a career counselor/coach, I’ve been able to bring together my innate abilities and passions and the skills that have naturally flowed from me since I was a child. People have always fascinated me, and the world of work fascinates me as well. I was inspired to write my book “Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work,” because I felt that a comprehensive career development book for the 21st century was needed to address the critical concerns of our time—the workers who are victims of downsizing and outsourcing, the “boomers” who are at retirement age but cannot afford to retire and the recent college graduates who are faced an avalanche of confusing information and are clueless about how to pursue an appropriate

Tell us about your books.
My current book “Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work” uniquely incorporates the methodologies and plans of action that are applicable now for a new generation of career seekers in a new economy and a quickly changing marketplace. Designed as a self-paced career development workshop in book format, it provides self-assessment tools and sound strategies and resources for decision making, goal setting and networking to begin a fulfilling new career. Prior to writing “Champion Your Career,” I created and distributed Career Quest Cards, a practical, portable tool that provides a distillation of 30 key career-coaching exercises.

How did you go about getting published?
I self-published “Champion Your Career” first as an ebook through Bookbaby. This provided an opportunity to generate interest in the book before launching the print version that is now available in bookstores and libraries. The print version was also published through Bookbaby.

What is your writing process? Do you have a time, day or place you like to write?
Much of the material for “Champion Your Career” came from taped interviews that I had done, based on my twenty years of experience as a career coach. I was fortunate to be able to work with a developmental editor who was comfortable with my speaking and writing style—a process which I recommend to writers who have the kind of active public life that I have.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Full-time job, pets, hobbies?
I am employed as a teacher of English as a Second Language at South Seattle College.. I volunteer with several community theatre groups and for community events like Folklife Northwest. I participate in and am considered an elder in my spiritual practice. I do yoga and pilates. I love to travel, have lived in Asia and Europe and am married to a Brit.. We have two cats and we’ve always had cats.

Any advice for authors about book covers?
The importance of a good cover cannot be overemphasized. If you are able to find your own graphic artist to work with, it is worthwhile to do so. If you self-publish through Bookbaby or Create Space, they do offer the service of creating the cover for you, but it’s much better to find an artist who can really work with you to graphically convey the message you intend.

Any marketing tips you’d like to share with other authors?
First of all, you must fully utilize your own network, all of your work associates, community groups. Beyond that, a good public relations

What’s your favorite book?
Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited” comes to mind. But there are so many others. Stendahl’s The Red and the Black. I love the English classics.-Hardy, Dickens, Elliott, Wilkie Collins to name a few. I also loved Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet and a book by his brother Gerald Durrell—My Family and Other Animals. Another favorite is George Eliot’s last novel, Daniel Deronda. I could go on and on.

What are you reading now?
Elana Ferrante’s “The Story of a New Name.” It’s the second in a series of four called the Neapolitan Novels.

What’s your next book project?
I’m not really planning anything right now. I might make an audio book of “Champion Your Career.” There is always the possibility of expanding on some sections of “Champion Your Career”—such as a book specifically for retirees